Meet Elandas Miller | Founder of Kicking It Sports & The Hoodie CEO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elandas Miller and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elandas, how do you think about risk?
I like to think of the basic law of risk: The higher the risk, the higher the reward. Throughout my life, I try to limit my risks and lean towards being safe. However, there are times where taking risks and betting on myself is the best option. Starting a business can be one of the riskiest things that anyone can do. There is no guarantee for success. It can be tricky when contemplating what type of risks that you can tolerate. Everyone’s risk tolerance is a little different. For me, I like to take risks that I believe will have a positive impact in the long run. An example, is starting my three businesses (Kicking It Sports, Malcome Holdings, The Hoodie CEO). When I look at my life, I know there are things that I want to achieve. The goals that I want to reach all have some type of risks associated with them, so taking risk is necessary. Taking a leap of faith is something that all entrepreneurs deal with on a consistent basis. Without risks, there is no success. Before taking certain risks, I like to always ask myself, “What is the worst that can happen?” If the answer to this question is not ‘death, bankruptcy, or hurting others’ then I usually try to come up with ways that I can reach the goal while mitigating the risks. When thinking about risks, sometimes the best thing to do is to focus on the next step versus getting caught up in a whirlwind of bad outcomes that are probably not likely to happen. By focusing on what is in front of you, you can begin moving forward in the right direction. Planning is another great way to mitigate risks. Whenever I think about starting a new project within my businesses, I try to plan things out and reverse engineer the outcome that I would like to achieve.

What should our readers know about your business?
I started Kicking It Sports in 2017 to help adults tap into their inner child while also promoting physical and social activity. We play some of our favorite childhood backyard sports games in a local park and bring people together from all across the state. In 2020, during the pandemic, I launched my digital informational products business, Hoodie CEO, where I help aspiring entrepreneurs throughout their business journey through e-books, courses, and interviews. I am looking to take both brands to the next level over the next few years by serving the B2B market. I am interested in engaging public schools and universities through Hoodie CEO to help students learn more about entrepreneurship. There is a lot to learn about being a business owner and I think by helping students learn about it earlier will be beneficial not just to them, but the entire entrepreneurial ecosystem.

I think one of my greatest characteristics is the drive to never give up. I like to see things through and keep pushing until I get the desired result. Perseverance is one of the most important traits of an entrepreneur because nothing ever works the first 20 times. I have realized that throughout my journey, so no matter what, I keep pushing through the hardships, rejections, and factors that I can’t control. I arrived where I am today by always keeping an open mind to new ideas and working towards making a positive impact. My goal is to positively impact at least one person whenever I host an event, speak at a school, or write a blog post.

Starting a business may be one of the hardest things that I’ve been doing. It is easy to give up and just work a 9 – 5. However, I know that there will always be something missing if I succumb to the corporate life. That is why I look to overcome my challenges. The biggest lesson that I learned throughout my journey is that you can’t accomplish anything on your own. You must have a group of people around you that can help you with reaching your goals while at the same time helping them reach their goals. It is has to be a win-win situation for all parties involved.

My brand and story are all about inspiring and helping people. With each of my brands, Hoodie CEO, Kicking It Sports, and Malcome Holdings, I want people to understand that anything is possible, and that business is a great way for people to solve their own problems. With each brand, I hope to #BreakTheCycle of a specific problem that is present within the various communities throughout Atlanta. These problems include, self-doubt, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, lack of affordable housing, poverty, and lack of imagination. I have a dream of building more brands that would help solve the problems not just within our community, but also across the globe.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Atlanta is one of my top favorite cities of all time. I’ve visited over a dozen other cities, but there is no other place like Atlanta. I love when friends visit so I can show them all of the great things that the city has to offer. My top favorite places are Piedmont Park, Edgewood, Centennial Park, Atlantic Station, Little 5 Points, and The Battery. We would probably grab food somewhere in Midtown with a nice rooftop and then explore the city. Everyday there is something going on in the city so we would definitely check out an event or party. Atlanta also has a great choice of rooftops where we could see views of various parts of the city. That would definitely have to be on the agenda. Of course, we would have to also check out the famous Waffle House at least one late night for the experience. In each of my favorite places there are a dozen things to do. I love sports so we would also have to look into checking out an Atlanta United, Braves, Falcons, or Hawks game. Atlanta fans are very interesting and it is always a good time to be surrounded by the energy. I could go on for hours about the many things that the city has to offer, but I think I would stop here before I get too excited.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have been lucky to have a great support system throughout my life in a form of family and friends. There have been times where family members would help me with projects in school that helped me get good grades. There have been other times where my friends were the only people at some of my early launches of my business. There have been times where family and friends would donate to my business to help me keep going towards my goals. I don’t think that I would be anywhere without them so this Shoutout goes to all of my family and friends who have supported me throughout all of my crazy endeavors. Of course, I would like to thank my mom and dad specifically who helped me throughout my entire journey of life. There have also been a few mentors throughout each phase of my life that I usually would ask for guidance. These group of people would give me ideas, solutions, and be sure that I am asking myself the right questions. Many of the discussions that I’ve experienced with them has led me down the right path.

Website: www.thekickingitsports.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/hoodieceo

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elandas-miller-pmp-0b605a95/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thekickingitsports

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU9zueKkotGLnBQI7hCrpxA

Image Credits
Photos by Amir and Prothro Productions